The Secrets of Story Structure: The Climax

And, now, the moment we've all been waiting for! The climax is the pièce de résistance, the main dish, of a novel. When we bring out the climax and lift the shimmering silver cloche off the serving platter, this is the piece that gets all the "oohs" and "aahs." The climax of a story should keep readers on the edge of their seats. They should be out of breath, tense, and curious to the core. If we've done our job right , they should have a general idea of ​​what's to come (thanks to our deft foreshadowing), but they should also suffer under the exquisite torture of more than a shadow or two of doubt. What will happen? Will the hero survive? Will he save the world/his family/the battle/his life in time?

The climax is where we bring out our biggest calibers, the 90s. This is a scene that needs to astound readers, so dig deep into your most extraordinary and imaginative ideas. Instead of a fist fight, why not a fist fight on top of a moving train? Instead of a declaration of love, why not a declaration in the middle of a presidential inauguration? This, of course, doesn't mean that we should push our stories into the realm of the unrealistic or the melodramatic, but how far and where we go is entirely up to the story and its genre. The point is to bring the story and its primary conflict to its intended moment of irreversible resolution in a way that fulfills every promise our book makes to our readers.

What is the culmination?

In a sense, the entire third act is the climax. From the plot point at the end of the second act onwards, the pace and action will build. The character has been cornered and has no choice but to fight back. However, the actual climax is the high point within the third act. It's the moment when the two speeding trains finally collide in one unforgettable scene.

In Shadow of the Curse by Lois McMaster Bujold, the climax is reached when the protagonist Cazaril and the antagonist Martou dy Jironal finally collide in the duel that kills dy Jironal and breaks the curse on the royal family. In Norman Jewison's The Thomas Crown Case , the climax comes when insurance investigator Vicki Anderson, standing by with the police, watches Crown's Rolls Royce arrive to pick up the stolen bank money, only to find that Crown has left the country and sent a decoy in its place. In Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Little Princess, the climax revolves around the return of Mr. Carrisford's monkey to Sara and later the revelation that she is the long-sought daughter of Carrisford's late business partner .

In some stories, the climax will involve a lengthy physical battle. In others, the climax may be nothing more than a simple admission that changes everything for the protagonist. Almost always, it's a moment of revelation for the main character. Depending on the needs of the story, the protagonist will come to a revelation that will directly change his life before, during or immediately after the climax. He will then definitively act on that revelation, closing the change in his character arc and ending the primary conflict, both physically and spiritually.

Where is the climax located?

The climax occurs very close to the end of the third act. Most of the time, it will be the penultimate scene, just before the epilogue (as in all of the examples above). Since the climax says all there is to say, with the exception of a little emotional roundup, there's no need for the story to continue long after it's completed.

Occasionally, stories will include a mock climax, in which the protagonist thinks he has ended the conflict, only to realize he hasn't faced the real antagonistic force standing between him and his goal. For example, in Pixar's Toy Story, Woody and Buzz defeat evil neighbor Sid in a mock climax, only to realize they may still miss the moving van that will take them to Andy's new home . False climaxes do nothing to change the requirements of the true climax.

Some examples from cinema and literature

How do our books and the films we choose deal with the climax? There's a reason all four of these stories are popular and memorable, and a large part of that reason boils down to how brilliantly they filled all the needs for a good climax. Let's take a look!

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813)

As in most romance stories, the climax of this classic novel is the moment when the two protagonists finally meet, admit their love for each other, and decide to start a long-term relationship. After Darcy's gallantry in patching up Lydia's elopement with Wickham and his efforts to reunite Bingley and Jane, he and Lizzy are finally alone for a walk, during which they are able to put their former misconceptions right, repent each other of their misconduct. (a personal turning point for each of them), and they manage to trust each other enough.

It's a Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra (1947)

In the moment following George's "gift" to see the world without himself, he rushes back to the bridge and earnestly prays, "I want to live again!" This moment is both her personal revelation and a mock climax. It adequately covers the sequence of the unborn child (which follows a mini-plot and structure of its own) and leads to the very climax in which the city mobilizes to help George recover the lost $8,000 before he can be arrested.

Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (1977)

After Ender and his team graduated from Battle School, they entered a new set of what everyone believed to be more tactical games, intended to train them for the day they would finally face the Formics. Pushed to the limits of his physical and emotional endurance, Ender triggers a climax as he reaches a personal decision to break what he perceives as rules. It loses its frustrated aggression on the "game" and completely destroys the enemy. Then comes the revelation that he wasn't playing the game at all, but rather commanding distant troops who were fighting the Formics in real time.

Master and Commander directed by Peter Weir (2004)

The climactic final battle between the Surprise and the Acheron takes up a long section of the third act, but even the long climactic sequences must hit a single hot spot. In this case, the climax of the climax is the moment when Jack enters the surgery to find the captain, his long-pursued enemy, dead. He takes the captain's sword from the surgeon and starts organizing the roundup.

What do we take away from these examples?

Each climax is unique as each one must meet the needs and reflect the tone of its story. As we can see from just our few examples, the possibilities for the climax are vast and go far beyond the simple "good guy kills the bad guy" trope. However, they all have some important factors in common:

1. The climax occurs very close to the end of the book, usually only a scene or two away from the last page.

2. The climax is usually a part of a larger sequence of scenes that builds up to the major climax.

3. The climax decisively ends the primary conflict with the opposing force (wins or loses the protagonist).

4. The climax is the fulcrum around which the character arc revolves. This moment is either the direct result of the protagonist's personal revelation or is the trigger that creates the character's revelation. Many of the most powerful climaxes are those that create a one-two punch, pairing revelation with action that ends the conflict: first the character has his revelation, then immediately acts upon it.

5. Your story can have two climaxes, where a fake climax leads to an actual climax, depending on how many levels of conflict you've created. Give yourself permission to release your climax. Have fun and think outside the box. But make sure you've ticked off all the important outline elements, so you can give readers an experience that will forever cement your story in their memories.